Jailbreak

Cydia

If you seek evidence of Apple's expansive and aggressive retail growth strategy, look no further than China. Apple is now in the process of constructing its fifth store - and largest to date - on Shanghai’s busiest shopping street. With an estimated completion date set for this summer, Apple's four already-existing stores in China are also Apple's four busiest Apple stores in the world. And the new Shanghai property could quickly become the busiest yet.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple's senior vice-president of retail Ron Johnson says his company's plans to open 25 additional stores in China this year may be slightly held back due to Apple's newfound interest in building much bigger retail outlets than ever originally envisioned - chief among them the monstrosity planned for Shanghai. It should be noted, however, that Apple isn't merely interested in aesthetically pleasing grand architecture in its pursuit of gargantuan retail outlets. According to Apple, its largest stores also earn the highest revenue, effectively becoming shopping centers and tourist attractions at the same time.

The look of the new Shanghai store will be remarkably similar to other over-sized Apple stores. The construction process already details a massive glass structure fashioned into a sky-scraping cylinder housing a wonderland of Apple products and other must-see features. Yes, the stores come at a great expense. But as the Wall Street Journal notes, in Apple's last earnings call, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said "revenue from Greater China reached $2.6 billion, four times the company’s China revenue a year earlier."